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Ten finalists chosen in state flag redesign contest

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Illinois

* Click here to see the ten finalists. Press release…

The Illinois Flag Commission selected its Top 10 finalists for the state flag redesign contest with public voting slated to begin in January.

Members of the commission could select up to 10 of their favorite designs – from the nearly 5,000 submissions – prior to their December 9 meeting where they narrowed their choices to 10 overall.

“Having received nearly 5,000 entries, I appreciate the creativity and passion reflected in all the submissions,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose office convened the Flag Commission meetings.

Starting in January, the public will have the opportunity to vote online at www.ilsos.gov/stateflag for one of the new designs, or one of three former flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.

After the public voting period, the commission will report its findings and recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1, 2025, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous iteration of the flag or retain the current flag.

Senate Bill 1818, sponsored by State Senator Doris Turner (48th District—Springfield) and State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District—Chicago), was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker in 2023, creating the commission to gauge public desire for a new flag.

Click here and tell us which is your favorite.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:15 pm

Comments

I will pick 896, which is a modification of the existing flag.

3679 looks like the cover art from the old sets of Illinois Blue Books.

Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:21 pm
Based solely on appearance, I prefer 3679. It has a classy, yet unassuming appearance.

Comment by H-W Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:24 pm
I love 4129.

Comment by SammyG Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:26 pm
4220 is the clear favorite for me. Lincoln and the state in profile is a great combo.

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:26 pm
Honestly really like all of them except 4669 and 896.

If forced to pick a favorite I’d go 4129

Comment by Alton Sinkhole Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:30 pm
3679 is my pick. Simple and easy to understand.

Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:30 pm
I prefer 3679

Comment by Retired SURS Employee Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:31 pm
I like a few of them, but none are quite perfect for me.

4321 - Stands out. Clean without being overly cluttered. Like the U of I / Bears colors.

4129 / 3754 / 200 - Kinda similar vibes for each. None of them really jumps out over the others, I’d be fine with any of them.

I do have particular negative thoughts about the rest though. I don’t like the state shapes on flags, don’t like just reproducing the state seal on flags. And 2246 is just a bit too busy for my liking.

Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:33 pm
I really like 200.

Comment by ChiGoose Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:35 pm
3679 is my favorite. And I like the explanation.

Comment by Lurker Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:35 pm
Hated them all, they look like corporate identity packages and are not “statelY’ enough for me.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:37 pm
It didn’t stick out to me at first glance but the more I look at 4220 the more its growing on me

Comment by LM Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:38 pm
I like 4220 and 2246. Both look great and are thematically neat.

Comment by NewToSpringfield Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:38 pm
3754, 4129, and 3679 look the best

Comment by The Real Downstate Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:43 pm
Remember how some people on the right complained that this was all a plot to put woke stuff in the flag, like gay rights or whatever?

Yeah. What we got instead was safe blandness.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:43 pm
#2246 or #3679 for me. They are the cleanest, most visually appealing, and do the best job of telling the story of Illinois, IMO.

Comment by South of Springfield Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:53 pm
200 is my favorite, but I also like 4129 and 3754. 4669 and 4220 are trying too hard. 896 takes most of the flaws of our current flag and makes it even busier.

Ideally, a flag should only use two or three colors, be simple enough a child could draw it, not contain writing, and not look weird when seen from the opposite side. (There are exceptions, of course.) That last item should eliminate anything with the state outline.

Comment by Benjamin Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:54 pm
#896. We did not need this process to begin with and it, but it also actually looks really clean and modern while not losing the core of our current flag.

Comment by Impresario Barnum Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:54 pm
I am torn. I am in favor of a new flag but none of these knock me out.

I like nodding to Lincoln in our new design but think that should be done with a top hat shape and not his face in profile. I don’t like flags with the shape of the state on them as a rule either.

My fave of this bunch is 4321 with the distinctive orange and blue colors but I would put a pumpkin in the center instead of a butterfly. But I’m an Illini fan and want us to adopt a secondary nickname of The Pumpkin State so I have my biases.

I like 2246 but might like it better if the sun was orange instead of yellow and the green stripes/rows were straight or the green field
was solid. But I like the idea of that flag because it makes me think of my favorite lyrics about Illinois: “Amid the broad green fields that nourish our land, for honest Labor and Learning we stand, and unto thee we pledge our heart and hand, dear alma mater Illinois” but this entry would need more tweaks to fully embody that lyric for me.

I liked 4669 at first but the I would need to be a “block I” and the star would need to be 18-pointed for 1818. A six-pointed star just for Chicago won’t do.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:55 pm
3679 & 2752 are my favorites. Fairly simple, but also clearly recognizable as Illinois.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:56 pm
2246

Comment by Mike Gascoigne Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:59 pm
I alos like 200. I’m disappointed some of these seem to violate the best practices of flag design, but most of them are an upgrade from the current flag.

Comment by Benjamin Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 2:59 pm
To the question at hand, I’ll be voting for the Centennial Flag, since it’s eligible.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:01 pm
===Yeah. What we got instead was safe blandness. ===

Good thing that Abraham Lincoln wasn’t in favor of anything controversial enough to spark a Civil War. Shame that some folks don’t want our flag to represent something more meaningful than we were the 21st state — here are some stars.

I will refrain from picking a favorite because none of these designs are specifically moving to me. Some of them if chosen I think will result in another flag commission in a few decades.

Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:08 pm
I like 896. There’s nothing wrong with having the state seal on the flag and it clears up what is wrong with the current flag.

4321 is the most creative of the others.

I don’t care for the entries incorporating the state outline or Lincoln.

Comment by Jaguar Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:12 pm
4220. That subtle Lincoln profile and suggestion of the Mississippi. Love it. I hope the selection team use Ranked Choice voting

Comment by Ruth Dakin Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:20 pm
Put me down for 2752, with 3679 a second favorite. Fairly simple, clean designs that could look good from a distance as well as up close.

Comment by Linus Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:29 pm
3679 would unmistakably be the most easy to recognize as Illinois.

Comment by Dance Band on the Titanic Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:32 pm
2246 for its colors and representation. Enough of the dark blue already.

4220 for its hat tip to the French.(but could pass on old Abe.)

Our state is much more than one historical figure

Comment by walker Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:38 pm
As someone who has taught media arts classes including graphic design for 13 years - I see nothing here worthy of replacing what we have. So 896 is a good start. Slight modification and gets rid of the bedsheet.

Comment by Devin Miller Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:42 pm
I like 4220. I like the river separation in the middle and Lincoln ’s profile. 4321 appeals to me but it’s too limited to represent everything about Illinois.

Comment by froganon Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:43 pm
I wanted to add a note because others have mentioned it: If you live here in IL, yeah, I can see being tired of the “one person” association with Lincoln. We see it all the time, everywhere, including our license plates.

But the flag is supposed to identify the state to those who don’t necessarily live here, and the connection with Lincoln IS what Illinois is known for*.

I know it can be a bit eyerolling when we see it every day, but it’s hard to argue that it does say “Illinois.”

(*before anyone comes after me from my previous post and Chicago representing the state, I have personally had people ask “what does Illinois have?” and when I say Chicago, the say “that’s different, that doesn’t count!” So there’s that, too)

Comment by Mike Sorensen Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 3:52 pm
I like 2246. Can we please dump the Abe Lincoln designs. Our state is so much more than an homage to Lincoln and it shouldn’t be the centerpiece of our new flag. Many of these designs are atrocious. I still prefer keeping the current flag.

Comment by New Day Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:00 pm
1st choice is 2752. Easily identifiable as IL flag. 2nd choice is 896. Close to current flag, but meets change desire. 3rd choice is 3679. 4th choice is 4220. The only negative on the last two is that it binds IL to one president’s image- a great one, but we can hope that IL produces another.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:06 pm
I dunno, #3754 looks like the flag for that country between Madagascar and Myanmar.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:11 pm
I like 3679.

Side note: my first interpretation of 4220 was that Lincoln was facing a petulant and pouting Trump’s upturned face, but then I quickly slapped my forehead when I recognized the west border of the state.

Comment by Cornerfield Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:13 pm
They’re mostly hideous, though 3679 isn’t bad. That, or stick with the current flag.

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:18 pm
Honestly, I could go with any of them. Happy to see this process is coming along nicely.

Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:27 pm
In my opinion, 4129 is unambiguously the best of the new designs. I have a not at all a fan of the inclusion of the state outline or Lincoln himself. Those symbols feel too literal, cheap, and easy. I must say, I’m surprised at these 10 making the cut. Looking at the proposed designs put forth by similar committees in Minnesota, Utah, and Mississippi, they had much higher quality shortlists in my opinion.

Comment by I-55 Fanatic Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:33 pm
Keep the current flag or 896. Keep it classy.

Comment by Joe Schmoe Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:34 pm
I’m too bitter to vote. My gay pride flag superimposed with Caitlyn Jenner driving a Prius over a pile of confiscated guns while reading “Gender Queer” didn’t make the cut.

Comment by Excitable Boy Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:45 pm
==I still prefer keeping the current flag.==

100 percent agree. Complete waste of time.

Comment by slugger O'Toole Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:46 pm
They didn’t pick my submission, so Centennial Flag all the way.

Comment by ste_with a v_en Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 4:52 pm
Keep the old flag - if you must change then 3679 is my choice

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 5:03 pm
Prefer 2752 or 3679, you definitely know that state it’s the flag of. 4220 is good when it’s explained, but almost a Rorschach test to figure out.

Comment by West Side the Best Side Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 5:04 pm
I like 429 and love its reasoning, although the colors seem depressing.
3754 has a sharp look to it.
I like the theme of 2246 but the graphics look late 70s
896 somehow worsened our current terrible flag.

Comment by Proud Papa Bear Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 5:31 pm
The Centennial flag will also get my vote.

Here is a link to a reddit thread about the 1918 Centennial flag, including a picture of the flag:

https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/jpn8i0/1918_illinois_flag_proposal_the_centennial_flag/

Comment by Ridgelander Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 5:51 pm
At the risk of engaging in conspiratorial thinking, this aggressively bland Top 10 makes me suspect that the fix is in to keep the current flag.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 6:05 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuAD_sQUgpw

I apologize for taking it out on you…my bad.

Comment by Dotnonymous x Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 6:08 pm
4129!!

Comment by Laura Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 8:04 pm
I sincerely appreciate the effort and thoughtful creativity, but I strongly prefer keeping our current flag.

Comment by Central Il Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 8:04 pm
896 is the best of a boring, very uninspiring lot.

Comment by Northsider Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 8:32 pm
Boring, nothing stands out, a bit bland

Comment by Frida's Boss Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 9:58 pm
3754 and the Centennial flag are closest to my liking. Straightforward; good geometry. I can live with them every day.

I want to like 4129 more. Combining symbols for geography, agriculture, and industry is appealing. But the wheel somehow feels like a mandala. People staring at the state flag as they search for spiritual meaning is un-Illinois. Maybe it can be tweaked.

Everything with an Illinois silhouette has the same problem: the silhouette will be reversed on the opposite side of the flag. Which I think would just look bad.

4220 is captivating. But it has the reverse state silhouette issue. Also, it lends itself too easily to cartoons: what is Abe looking at in today’s variation?

Comment by Ivory-billed woodpecker Tuesday, Dec 10, 24 @ 10:54 pm
We’re already the Land of Lincoln, the Lincoln designs are kind of embarrassing. Yes I know it is what we are known for, but you don’t see Virginia slapping Washington’s silhouette left right and center on everything. Do we not have anything else.

Prairies? We got prairies. Please let’s lean into prairies rather than another silhouette of Lincoln. I think 4129 and 2246 are probably the best of a bad bunch. I like the idea of the monarch butterfly but hate the execution.

Comment by jules Wednesday, Dec 11, 24 @ 1:02 am
Wow these are very underwhelming and relatively disappointing. Start over in my opinion, just trash all these ideas and try again. Spend another month so we don’t regret the next 50 years.

Comment by Mitch F Wednesday, Dec 11, 24 @ 12:52 pm